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February 1, 2009

Taylor Lautner's Native Heritage Questioned

Indigenous People alleges that Taylor Lautner's Native American roots are not as deep as they've been made out to be:

"Reliable insider sources, who preferred to stay anonymous, state Taylor Lautner's Agent, was overheard in commenting during a conversation regarding Taylor Lautner's Native American heritage, "Well, we had to work around that. We had to fudge it. No one will know the difference."

Other sources such as Carol Levine over at nativevue.org also refute Taylor's Native heritage, and have expressed outrage over the hiring of a non-Native American for the role of Jacob Black -- though not necessarily towards Taylor himself of course!

Unfortunately, the quiet controversy surrounding Twilight is hardly new to Hollywood; As Levine points out, the recent film 21, which told the true story of MIT's blackjack team, conveniently altered the fact that the math wizards who bested the Vegas casinos were all Asian. Disappointingly, Jim Sturgess & Kate Bosworth, both of whom I admire very much as actors, took on the lead roles in that film. Is Hollywood to blame, or is Hollywood merely a reflection of the public's general preferences and prejudices?

So what exactly did Taylor Lautner claim his Native Heritage is? In a MTV interview, Taylor once stated, "I am part Native American. We learned that through [preparing for] this film. I'm French, Dutch and German, and on my mother's side, she has some Potawatomi and Ottawa Indian in her."

I'm a Native American born and raised on the Reservation. At fist I didn't want to watch a chick flick romance until I found out Native American were in the movie. It was awesome to see Natives play the part of wolves in a big movie! But now I'm bummed out that Taylor is not a Native American!

I am Native American and proud to be, Although its fictitious having someone play the leading role of a young Native American boy whose nothing more than white himself saddens not only me but my entire family. It's like a smack in the face or a blow to the chest, it is hurtful, it is a big deal. Anyone who thinks other wise must be what society calls its today's minority;)!Being so, I have to say It's about time they (Hollywood) starts making filmes with Natives in them let alone front line stars.

I am Native American born and raised on a rez,I teach my children our Native ways and culture.Its very disappointing that white actors/actresses get these roles to play native americans when there are plenty of real native american actors/actresses.I do think Taylor played a great role it was just disaponting to know he's really white.

I am like Taylor, my mom in only a portion Native American, (Iroquois, also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse") my whole life has been trying to prove it because out of 4 children I am the only one with light eyes (green) everyone else in my family has brown or black eyes, darker skinned with black hair they look Haudenosaunee. But I don't I even have blonde hair. It makes me mad because my entire life, all I've ever been asked is "what nationality are you?" I'd PROUDLY say what I was, but I cant help that I don't look it and NO, I DO have the same father and mother. Genetics (if anyone studies) shows 1 in 4 children with brown/black eyes will carry the light eyes trait... that happened to me... I am still very proud of my heritage. And don't care if people talk about me.

rite on brother from a nother native mother, i to am Green eyed light skin. they have a word for that on the reservation. ( Sauknawe) but hey God made us all in his image, no matter what co;or eyes or hair we have. Stay Proud my Koda.

I don't think it's a big deal for something like Twilight, which is a fairytale to begin with, but that is disappointing about 21, being based on truth, that they totally changed it into something more "socially acceptable". There's TONS of awesome Asian talent, and the movie still would have been as good. Just sayin'.

IT IS A BIG DEALThe lightening of indigenous people (as well as other minorities) in Hollywood has been going on since day one (despite talent).

Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra is one famous example. If you google (like I know you can), you'll literally find hundreds of examples of white people playing the roles of black, asian, hispanic, and native american peoples.

"Back in the day" the studios did this to cater to white audiences, whom they feared, would not spend their money to see a person of color in a lead role on the big screen.

This clearly isn't as true today (although, clearly as "21" demonstrates), there is a fear that if the cast is not mostly white, white people will not go see the movie). So to have someone who is not indigenous to play the part of the of someone who is, just continues the erasure. It tells people, "you're not really good enough for this". It denotes laziness on the studio and it hurts!

Yeah, Bella's going to have wavy black hair and brown skin. Edward will have a short natural hairstyle, very dark skin, and dark brown eyes. Do you think that would go over well?

The fandom was pissed with Pattinson was cast and I heard quite a few fans expressing a puzzled disappointment with Laurent being played by a black man, but when it comes this it's suddenly 'not a big deal'.

One of the things I enjoyed about the book was the presence of native americans who are often treated as invisible by the media (in any form!). To have someone not native playing the starring role just furthers that. It really makes VERY ANGRY!

I was so happy to find out they were trying to stay true to the books when casting the wolf pack. This would really break my heart and truly make me question if I would ever spend money on this franchise again.

I don't understand why your so mad. Taylor stated that he was part Native American on his mother's side. He's part white & part Native American. I don't see the big deal and this is coming from someone that's mostly Native American. My father's 100% Cree Indian & my mother's Cherokee Indian & White. At least they put an actor that had Native American in him. So does that mean because I'm basically 75% Native American that it's not right if I play a role of Pocahontas because I'm not 100%?. I think that Everyone needs to stop being so Judgmental! Hey I'm just sayin'.....:) Laura

Maybe it would have been nice had the actors picked as best for the parts also been full blooded natives, but really, it doesn't matter.

It is *nothing* like what happened with 21, or the nonsense that commenter Punched a Werewolf is coming up with. The movie does not change Native Americans into a group of white kids at the HS one town over. The kids look like Natives, they are playing Natives, and its a movie. Looking the part is 99% of getting a role, not your blood line. That would be ridiculous and racist.

to the blogger: Hugh??? Is this about how much % you have in your blood vs Looks OR about culture having to be Registered in tribal headquarters to be consider a "Real Native-American" (I heard tribes accept 1/14 people as long as they're raise in culture you're a Real N-A). Anyway It's not like Taylor looks like Chuck Norris (Norris has N-A ancestry but looks plain White) I mean isn't that's why they were questioning his heritage in the first place cause he didn't look white grrrr. If I've seen him walking in the streets I never would have thought he was White have you seen his TV appearance from his kid years till now I thought he was Hawaiian or Mexican (a non-white person)

@Angela:"It is *nothing* like what happened with 21", Now, I'll give you that "21" was based on a true story where the real people are (where?) Asian and that "New Moon" is based on a book which is purely fictional. However, It is like "21" in the way they are replacing one ethnicity for another.

or the nonsense that commenter Punched a Werewolf is coming up with.Excuse you, but this is far from nonsense. Hollywood has done this for DECADES. Ever since "Birth of A Nation" (where white men in black face played the black characters) all the way to "21".

This isn't nonsense and it's not by mistake. If it was nonsense, why do you think indigenous people are upset? Are they upset over nonsense? Are their concerns nonsense?

The movie does not change Native Americans into a group of white kids at the HS one town over.Never said it did.

The kids look like Natives, they are playing Natives, and its a movie. Looking the part is 99% of getting a role, not your blood line.No, that's not acceptable. They're native in the book, they should be native in the movie, period.That would be ridiculous and racist.What's ridiculous is this statement. Thinking that Native American people should play characters who are Native American in a movie based on a book where the characters are Native American is not racist.

Your not a lone in this. I am a full Native American. Born and raised on the Nation (Díne nation). I wish people would really see how they have put native in that image. Mines Will go around WHITE PEOPLE and say oh you look ..... you can go play this part. If they only knew the really life of a kid to adult out here. They would have never live.

To clarify an urban legend that's been circulating the web ever since "21" was released, only 15%-20% of the 100+ players on the MIT Blackjack Team were of Asian descent. The movie, of course, took liberties with everything. There was no MIT professor who started and ran the team, the stories about the players were completely made up, no one was ever beaten up by the casinos, and on and on.

The movie, however, captured the essence of our business and the excitement felt by all of our players in being able to be successful high rollers on weekends while sweating out college and graduate studies during the weeks. At the box office, the movie took in over $100 million so it's hard to argue with success.

If you can act the part, and look the part then thats good enough for me. I dont think we need a blood test to see if you can play the part. I dont agree that the part should be taken from someone at this late date. But maybe he is not as experienced an actor to play the larger roll in New Moon but i think they should have figures that out before the gave him the part in Twilight.

It definitely bothers me when Caucasian actors/actresses portray ethnic parts. I'm as white as you can get, and it ticks me off that people think taping back a woman's eyes makes her Asian and oiling up a man makes him black.

I'm torn on the Taylor issue, though. I was REALLY angry when he was cast because he doesn't look NA. His skin is dark, yeah, but he admitted that's from his mother's French side. But he's a sweet, sincere kid, and I can't be angry at him for getting the part.

However, I want to believe him when he says he's got some Native American in him. He doesn't seem like the type to make stuff up for the sake of making a better impression on the public. His agent is another story. He represents Michael Copon, too, and that's just wrong... Maybe there is something fishy.

I have to admit I was shocked when Edi was cast as Laurent. I did NOT picture him as a black man. (He's described as olive skinned.) But Edi did a GREAT job and now I can't imagine anything else. Lol. Those dreads were awesome. But did the French have dreads in the 16th or 15th century? Maybe he did that when he became a vamp so his hair would be easier to manage. Hmm...

As a "mixed" Native American girl whose government won't acknowledge her heritage because my family doesn't own tribal land, I have to say that I'm not bothered by Taylor not being a "real" Native American. I get the same comments I see here, that I don't "look Native American" -- that is, until I stand in the sun for about 20 minutes and get an instant red-brown tan, or when I braid my hair and people suddenly say they can see my heritage in my jet black hair and super high cheekbones.

If you're not raised on the rez, it's hard to be acknowledged as being non-Caucasian or non-Hispanic in the U.S. Whether that's people of other races wanting to see what they think they see or it runs deeper than that, I don't know. But I do know that my parents were reluctant to raise me as Native American and barely mentioned it to me until I was older, even though my grandmother was full-blooded Cherokee. There was no self-loathing in our family, just a resignation that we can't even claim who we are on a census.

I can relate to this, the native spirit lives in the heart. They literally tried to destroy Native culture and people who have old indian blood are not recognized.. It's all a part of trying to disconnect people from the culture and dim the spirit. It's disappointing but as long as you know who you are, you're spirit can't be conquered...-Sean

SERIOUSLY give it up already with im Cherokee and I can't prove it! Im so sick of hearing this,every race seems to think there Cherokee with the exception of enrolled Cherokees! If you didn't kow you we're native till later on when you got older im pretty sure your just another white person claiming there native and how do I get benefits! Sad sad sad

If your grandma was full-blooded Cherokee then there is no reason that you wouldn't be recongized as being Native. Most tribes will allow one to be enrolled if they can trace and prove their lineage.Within reasonable blood quantum range as dictitated by either the federally recongized tribe or the federal government. So either you've been lied to or your doing the lying.

I have to agree with Anonymous. My mom's family is Native American and is registered with her tribe. I grew up going to pow wows and went to summer school every year on the rez, and my mom taught. I have countless beaded earrings, bracelets and woven baskets that I made. However, since I'm not 1/4 or more, I'm not affiliated with the tribe in any way, shape or form. The crazy things is that I know WAY more about "my tribe" than other kids I know who are 1/2 or 3/4.

I know its frustrating to some that Lautner isn't "more" native. But my question is "what's enough?" (My own grandfather, who is half is usually thought to be Puerto Rican.) And furthermore, what if he wasn't raised on the rez, then what? At least he's not some white guy with a spray on tan!

Just wanted to add that, my family has been traced back 5+ generations in this country and my heritage consists of just about everything including Irish, Indian, French, Puerto Rican, African American and even Chinese. I said all that to say, Taylor probably does have some Indian in him. What US born and raised American doesn't? If you don't know you better, trace yourself! Very few of us a "purebreed" anymore. I have a harder time seeing Taylor play a totally "white" person when he is obviously a person of color:)

I agree! I try to tell or should say have been asked by soo many "What are you?" just because, well too me it never mattered that I did not look like my brothers and sisters, they were darker with black hair or dark brown hair and black eyes or dark brown. I on the other hand was born blonde with dark green eyes. They didn't understand how we could all be from the same parents, but if they bothered to study genetics in highschool they would've known 1 in 4 come out different and happened to be the one. Sometimes I hate it, sometimes I don't. I have a lot of nationalities in me, i being Native American. But I am not believed and I dont care... I am proud! I am a proud american and whatever else I am... and most you speak to have so many mixed nationalities, thats what makes this the melting pot... eventually we will ALL look the same... then nobody will say "what are you" Who CARES! DOES IT MATTER"? IS IT MY FAULT? NO! SO DEAL WITH IT! We will all look alike in 100 or so years anyway. (at least I hope so, we should be at peace with one another... not hate.. it WRONG... nobody should hate someone because of their heritage.

I am a french creole who looks all white, however I am not I have at least 25% african american heritage however my hair is blonde and I have blue eyes with caucasian feactures, unless I tell someone no one believe that I have black blood, I just say I am mixed but most people who are mixed say I don't even look mixed. When I first say a photo of Taylor I could see that he also had black blood. Look closely at his hair. I don't view him as Whitebut mixed.

The point is'nt to say that there's a specific percentage of blood involved in the choosing process of the part, but that in order to get the part one must be of the heritage at least, because it is only fair. Although most Americans have N.A ancestry that doesnt make it alright for anyone to play a N.A role.

Not to point fingers, but if there were an obviously Caucasian role in a movie and the part were given to a person of a different heritage the reaction would not be the same, even further in most movies today the cast is structured in a way to either have just enough ethnicity or an "equal" balance.

Since everyone is putting themselves in the mix, i'm black but my mom's ancestry is mixed. She's of African Caucasian and Native American descent (Specifically The Blackfoot Nation) and my father is Trinidadian but my grandmother is half-chinese and indian(the continent). Although i may be descendants of these many races I would not be accepted as either N.A, Indian, Chinese(or any asian at all), or even to top it off caucasian, and that last one is the most obvious, because as earlier stated one has to look the part, thats pretty much passing, and essentially racist/prejudgement because if i were literally half-white and half-black and i looked more black could i not play a white role?

anyway with all that it boild down to the simple fact that its not acceptable to play the role of a race your not apart of, especially if you just found out you were 1/32nd N.A and there are qualified people in whichever race you are portraying available for the part.

If your Ancestory background has you as mostly Dutch/French/German. But, wait you just found out that your Mother's side has Potawatomi/Ottawa heritage. You just found out while making the movie? Hmmm, interesting how convenient. So if someone were to call the census office within these tribal offices and verify this what do you think they would say? Never heard of them, there is no record. Make sure you are a REGISTERED member of these two tribes before you claim to be part of them. But again, while filming this movie, you just FOUND OUT you have some Native American ancestors. Saved you from losing that role, huh? BTW I am a REGISTERED Member of the Potawatomi Tribe.

I will say in situations like this, the only people who tend to think it's not a big deal are the people who don't tend to have to think about that sort of thing (i.e. Caucasians aka the Majority). To people of minorities, who've historically seen the roles of their people given away to white people faking or had their roles underplayed (i.e. like the Mammy character or Black person never survives a horror movie kind of thing), something like this has an affect. I will say, personally, I find it funny that I'd heard that the background characters, members of the Quiluete (sp?) tribe had to actually prove that they were card carrying members of a tribe, why not Taylor?

Just to say right away, I'm full blooded native american.Though native american is NOT a solid thing. There are DIFFERENT AND SEPERATE tribes and they all each have their own look, thank you very much. There isnt just the generic indian at all. You can easily tell the difference between a navajo and a pueblo for example. (i'm half navajo and half pueblo by the way) The only damn thing that bothers me is that if Lautner isnt native american, then come out and say it! Its too late to chose another actor thats native.

And besides, a lot of the real good native actors, (personally, just from what i see)are already too old to play a teenage boy for new moon. The one actor that i would have liked to play jacob was Smiles A Lot in Dances With Wolves. but he's already older.

The company could have released a statement saying there weren't any experienced native american actors and they wanted to use Taylor instead of possibly faking native descent.

Another thing is that i do have a problem with a lot of 1/4 natives who cant be considered "tribal" when they know more about their culture than these full bloods and half bloods. I've seen how in my tribe, kids who are 1/4 blood cant live on the rez after they're 18 but they know the language and everything while these so called full bloods who supposedly run the tribe talk about being "traditionally" when their kids dont know the language...i can go on about the tribe i live on but you can only be proud of who you are...

I think that...new moon should be spreading more awareness about native americans, because we're coming out. And not just natives but other races as well.

Its just and old prejudice issue, old as time (well maybe not that old) but seriously. EVERYONE needs to get over all this talk about race and stuff. IT bugs the hell out of me, because i seriously dont care, just honor what was originally published by Stephanie Meyer, even if that means hiring a native.

I was more dissapointed by the casting of Avatar the Last Airbender...seriously, what's wrong with them? Or maybe its me?

I agree with what you said about the production company being honest, instead of concocting all these (possible) lies.

Also, I agree with you on the casting of The Last Airbender...all the background extras were clearly Asian, but the protagonists were white? And the antagonists are Indian (Continental)? Seriously? Being Asian, that frustrated me immensely, because the casting director obviously knew that the characters weren't white, yet..they blatantly showed that they didn't care, and that other ethnicities are just not as good when it comes to films.

this whole thing with the comments....love it good job on both side with the arguments,really it was so cool.

and bookworm[love that name]the minorities are the majority!!!!

for years hollywoods been doing this[go ahead and look at the natives in a old jonh wayne flick]and one thing to remember is that hollywood is fake,and also that the movies are never as good as the books.

Roxie- it really depends on where you live. I'm a mixture of nationalities but i'm a minority where i live! even though lookin at me you would guess i'm almost completely caucasian.

Hollywood is fake but i do have an issue with Hollywood getting other races to potray a specific person whether it be white, black,red, or yellow. I think it IS convenient he became Native American suddenly when it was questioned more but still a lot of people ARE some percentage of Native American today in America. Although i'm sure there are PLENTY of full blood N/A actors who are talented enough to play the part. I think it's just something to be smarter about because the N/A culture is one that has been trampled & ignored for a long time. So it would be great to get some talented N/A actors & actresses into Hollywood & start acknowledging them as well!

According to the Blue Corn Comics blog, Stephanie Meyer based the story surrounding the werewolves on Quilete folklore. The Quilete are an actual people not some made up fairy folk. Then again, there seems to be this idea that real Natives are imaginary and somehow don't exist, or at least many would gladly entertain that idea. Why else would many Twihards not matter over Native representation in the media by actual Natives?

I agree with I punched a Werewolf. As a full blooded indigenous person myself, even though Im not Native American, Native peoples of all countries are often represented in an archaic context which is reinforced by our education system starting at a very young age. We are not ancient civilizations to be romanticized about like we've died out. We shouldn't be exoticized. We exist today in so many new communities and the majority of people are completely ignorant of the fact because that's the way american history wants to portray us. So that everyone can forget that the "founding fathers" of our country committed many atrocities that they want forgotten...so that white people dont feel bad lol. And nothing against white peeps (my adoptive parents are both white) but you really did a number on the native nations in this country. If Jacob Black's tribe is an actual nation then they should have been more responsible in casting or at least informing people that the decision of casting the role was based on acting talent or something rather than defending themselves by saying Taylor has "some" native heritage. It'd be nice if the film was promoting awareness about Natives and rez life today. We can't learn from our mistakes unless we acknowledge the ongoing effects of those horrible decisions and actions. I love the books though and I am excited about New Moon.

it really doesn't matter..he's hot and he looks like he's full..i mean i am also German, French, and a couple other things on my dad's side and my moms father was Shawnee...which means i have that in me and i have all the common features except the really dark skin...but that doesn't make any difference and people don't care as long as we promote ourselves right, that is all that matters.

Lautner will do a good job playing a Native, he's intense and talented. Whatever slight hint of Native blood he's carrying in his genes will do them proud. I have a question though, how come Native Americans seem to be the only people on the planet who have to register to be themselves? That's really weird.

HOW INTERESTING THIS BLOG HAS BEENI AM NATIVE AMERCIAN AND AN ENROLLED MEMBER OF A FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBE/ INDIAN RESERVATION.

ONE POINT THAT NEEDS TO BE MADE ISIT IS ABSOLUTLEY OUTRAGEOUS TO SAY THERE IS NO OTHER NATIVE AMERICAN ACTORS THAT COULD HAVE PLAYED THIS PART.YES LAUTNER IS A GREAT ACTOR AND I WOULD NOT WANT TO SEE HIM GO....BUT,WE NEED TO MAKE IT QUITE APPARENT THAT IT IS ABSOLUTLEY WRONG TO LIE ABOUT ONES ETHNICITEY TO JUSTIFY A ROLE IN A MOVIE. PLEASE!! GIVE NATIVE PPL A CHANCE SURE EVERYONE CAN CLAIM TO BE PART NATIVE OR HAVE A GREAT GRANDMOTHER WHO WAS A FULL BLOODED CHEROKEE PRINCESS LOL

THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS YOU EITHER ARE NATIVE OR NOT!SIMPLE!!! THATS IT AND IF YOU ARE PART NATIVE TRUST ME YOUD KNOWLMFAO

THE SAD THING IS THAT NATIVE AMERICAN CHARACTERS HAVE BEEN PLAYED BY WHITE PPL IN RUB ON TANS AND BRAIDED WIGS ETC. ETC.. WHEN NATIVE PEOPLE WERENT SOCIALLY EXCEPTED TO GRACE THE SCREEN.NOW THAT PPPLE HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDIN AND EXCEPTANCE OF INDIGENOUS PPL AROUND THE WORLD WE ARE KNOWN FOR A OUR SPIRITUALITY AND BEAUTY. PLEASE GIVE US A CHANCE TO SHARE THAT AND OUR TALENT WITH YOU.

YOU SEENATIVE AMERICANS ARE BARELY A SLIVER ON THE PIE CHART ANYMOREWE ARE AN INDANGERED SPECIES (IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT)IF YOU WANT REALISIM AUTHENTICY ITS RIGHT HEREIF YOU DONT THATS FINEITS ONLY A MOVIE PEOPLE!BUT DNT CLAIM TO BE SOMETHING YOUR NOTCUZIT WILL SHOWAND IT IS WRONG

AND WE DONT HAVE TO REGISTER TO PROVE WE ARE NATIVES DUMBASS

IN CASE YOU DNT KNOW YOUR HISTORY SOME TRIBES ARE FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED INDEPENDANT GOVERMENTS AND SOVERIGN NATIONS! THAT MEANS THIER OWN COUNTRY. IT'S LIKE CITZENSHIP.AND THAT IS A RIGHT OUR PEOPLE FOUGHT AND DIED FOR AND MANY HAVE STOOD THIER GROUND AND FOUGHT FOR THIS RESPECT AND WE WILL NOT LET IT GO UNFORGOTTEN!!!

And if I'm understanding what you're all saying here is that Taylor Lautner can say he has native blood in him all he wants but until he gets the papers to prove it he's basically lying to us all? Is that right?

Well, I'm not registered. You gonna tell me I'm not native? I'd love for any of you to go say that to my kookum or my tota! They'd put you in your place so fast your head would spin! I can't register because I'm not native enough for any of the tribes my ancestors belonged to. That's not my fault! I'm half native whether I have tribal papers in my hand or not! So who are you all to say that just because Taylor Lautner isn't registered he's not native and doesn't deserve a part that he worked his ass off for?

Seriously, the way natives act these days almost makes me ashamed to call myself native! You all act like everything should belong to you, like it's your god given right! Well newsflash, it's not! You're not any more special than any other human being out there! So get over yourselves!

How do you guys know that they didn't try to cast a registered native in the part? Maybe no one auditioned! What should they do then, halt production on the movie just because they don't have a registered native to play one part? Ummmm, no I think they might give the part to someone qualified who either has native blood or looks like they could be native!

You guys need to get off your soapboxes, the altitude is messing with your brains!

So by that reasoning Rob Pattinson should not be playing Edward because he isn't a vampire. This is a silly argument.

Eric Bana - Australian playing an Israeli Mossad agent in Munich.Naveen Andrews - A british born Indian playing an Iraqi in LostBen Kingsley - A british actor playing an Asian Indian in Ghandhi.

Abigail Breslin is currently under fire having been chosen to play Helen Keller - author, activist and deafblind.

That's what actors do. They portray characters. Look-wise Taylor fits the bill and I'm sure he'll do a great job with the part.

Summit did give a lot of parts to Native American actors for the sequels. In fact, they didn't bring in any big names for the Quiluetes like they did for the Volturi. So I don't see what there is to complain about, really.

Jeez.Maybe people making these movies WERE JUST HIRING THE PEOPLE WHO COULD PLAY THE BEST PART IN THE MOVIE. Good grief. Calm the fk down, its not a big deal if he's "not really native american." or what the hell ever.

Seriously this discussion has gotten completely ridiculous and so off-track it's not even funny.

Roxie (and all others that have posted comments along the same lines), before you post a comment maybe you should make sure that it is relevant to the discussion.

Casting an actor who claims to have Native American heritage in a Native American part is NOT "whitening" "erasure" or "whitewashing".

The entire point of the article was that people were questioning wether Taylor Lautner was actually of Native American descent. The article has nothing to do with "whitening" "erasure" or "whitewashing".

Seriously people need to learn to read something thoroughly before making accusations.

I'll be one of the first to agree that yes over the years society as a whole has downplayed minorities but this is not the case with this particular movie or article so people need to stop all this shit about how casting Taylor Lautner in the part of Jacob Black is degrading towards Native Americans.

He has claimed to be Native American so why can't people believe him? Why is it so hard to accept that he may be telling the truth?

This is ridiculous if someone is not Native American, they should not portray themselves as such. I can clearly look at Taylor (Lautner) however his name is spelled....and I can see that he is "clearly" White.....throwing hair ext. and giving him a tan won't make him Native.......i realize he might have Heritage..hello I've seen "Really Dark blacks" claim the same thing (that's not right either. They are culture vultures.

First time I saw Taylor, I thought he was Indian. It does not matter the degree, I am a 1/4(took my dad's genes) and I look nothing like my full blood cousins, but I know some 1/16 who look very full blood...when I read the book, it was encouraging that the author introduced Indian culture...transformation. In addition it was encouraging that they cast the wolf pack and they were NDN. It's encouraging and a positive role model for Native kids...it is a struggle for Indian children to find positive role models in the "Hollywood" scene and media. I hope the Twilight Series encourages NDN to read and have a sense of pride that they are being represented in a very positive manner....in terms of screen appearance, Hispanics have Lopex, Blacks have Tyler Perry, Cosby (old school), Chirs Rock, and so for American Indians to have the wolf pack...thats pretty awesome and it puts those actors on the map...yeah their rolls may be NDN but thats okay...NDN's want to see NDN"s in positive manner, not some cartoon character on side of baseball team or helmet...(think I brought up another subject;P Native Pride, sign off Wolf Clan Cherokee....

choctawnation said... This is ridiculous if someone is not Native American, they should not portray themselves as such. I can clearly look at Taylor (Lautner) however his name is spelled....and I can see that he is "clearly" White.....throwing hair ext. and giving him a tan won't make him Native.......i realize he might have Heritage..hello I've seen "Really Dark blacks" claim the same thing (that's not right either. They are culture vultures.

How is he not a mix of something? the boy may not be Native american but he clearly is NOT white. His features could be spanish Native american but he is clearly NOT WHITE.

i hate it when blacks take over white roles Kingpin of Crime is WHITE and Micheal Clarke Duncan is clearly BLACK

Acting is acting and roles are played... Many minorities play many different roles in many different films. Yes, Taylor Lautner has Native American characteristics in his facial features no doubt. But in the end there will always be dispute and nothing will be resolved. I myself could have played the role of "Jacob Black" in the saga of Twilight, for one I am of Native American decent and I also act. I would like to play a role in a film playing a role of a Native and see the difference in peoples aspect of thinking.

I am a enrolled member of the Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes of Oklahomaand my bloodline traces back to theHunkpapa Lakota and Oglala Lakota.

Hello everybody, I do understand this is a big deal, indeed Hollywood often used white people to act NA, which is totally ridiculous. But i would like to react to some things i read here. I am French, you prabably notices my english is not as good as yours, and all over the web i can read that Taylor Lautner's dark skin comes from his mother's french side ... Any of you guys have ever seen a french ?????? I mean for sure his dark skin doesn't come from french origin !! I didn't think Americans were that bad in geography, lol, France is near England, we are as white as an Irish ! Just to say that this kid Taylor looks much more like a N-A than a french. I am really for the fact that N-A must be played by N-A actors, but what is this trial against this poor kid, is it because he's not enough N-A for you ? Then i guess some white people will think he's not enough white either ...

One commenter said: “Taylor probably does have some Indian in him. What US born and raised American doesn't”The majority of “born and raised” Americans do NOT have any significant Native American ancestry. I have studied genealogy extensively and this claim has little evidence to back it up. While mixing certainly did occur, it did not occur in the numbers most people claim it did. Lets not forget, white culture used to be pretty racist and intolerant, and if you’ve studied American history you already know how the indigenous people were treated (pretty atrociously). Many states had anti-miscegenation laws, and in states where these laws were not enacted, interracial relationships were INCREDIBLY taboo. I’m not saying they didn’t occur, and people certainly did “pass” into white society, but this did not happen with considerable frequency. The times were very different back then, and it was much easier to simply marry into your own ethnic or racial group. The majority of people lived in areas populated by their own ethnic group (a phenomenon we see to this day), making mixing even more unlikely. When white-native marriages/relationships did occur, they were usually between a white man and an indigenous woman, in areas that were being settled (ie in California during the gold rush- I have seen census records documenting quite a few of these relationships). Just wanted to clear that up for those of you saying “but ALL Americans are part indian!”... it is not accurate and it is a distortion of history.

Personally, I think Taylor Lautner was simply too young looking for the role. He looks the same as he did in sharkboy, just sorta taller....

Movies are NOT the place to be getting all up set over race issues...whats the point, honestly, its all about how pretty you are , no matter what race you are.......well, depending on the role........haha

ohk so basically what your saying is an ACTOR should now play a role if he is not that role in real life? This story is ficton! are you telling me that rob can't play edward because he's not a vampire? well its that same thing as taylor not playing jacob because he's not N-A. how do you know for sure anyway? He's not white that's for sure. so what makes you think you can look at him and go "Oh well he sure as hell isn't N-A." you can't. i have chinese on my mom's side and nobody can tell because my dad is jamaican, and pretty much look jamaican except for a few of my mom's facial features. and even then, you can't tell because she's not full chinese herself. and it gets on my absolute last nerve when ppl say "no your not." or " hahaha she's lying" What? i have to go get papers too? Don't assume people, it makes you an ass.

and another thing...........

have you SEEN him in New Moon?! He's worked his ass off to gain 30 lbs. of muscle for this! how can you say he's too young-looking for the part? if you'd read the books you's know that that's how he's supposed to look genius! he's a talented, not to mention, smoking hot actor who fully deserves this role. And if he looks the part i don't see why he shouldn't play it JUST because YOU don't know for sure if he's really N-A. come on people really?

....................and another thing, this goes to all the people saying that being N-A is a minority.

STOP SAYING THAT! do you realize how many people would love to be able to say "oh i'm N-A"? If you don't i sure as hell do. quit trying to act like ur all mistreated bc your not. I dont see any other race getting to go to college for free as long as they have their N-A papers, so quit whining before people WANT to start treating you like minorities again.

Anonymous, don't apologize for your comment it's completely true. Native Americans nowadays think they deserve everything handed to them on a silver platter. I would LOVE to go to college but I can't afford it and since I can't register with any of the tribes my ancestors belonged to I don't 'qualify' for any of the grants or treaty cards out there, but everyone else who doesn't give a shit gets the option to go to school for free when they don't even want to! It's a waste and it pisses me off!

This is probably the most retarded group of people I have ever met. Do you honestly think that it isn't a big deal that Taylor Lautner is a white actor playing a native american role? Hey, just for the heck of it google "black face"... "yellow face" "brown face" and "red face". White actors have not only been taking roles of minority actors but they have been putting on make-up to parody a mimic them. There is historical EVIDENCE for why there are so many people upset with the twilight casting. How many NA male actors can you name off the top of your head? I personally can name like... 3 but that in now way shape or form equals to the thousands of high-profile (and otherwise) white male actors in this world. Hollywood has always been lily-white. Heck television is too. And until we get DIVERSE casting in movies there is always going to be controversy when a white actor steps into a role for a person of color. Honestly, how many fucking people would be pissed off if they used colorblind casting and Edward somehow was cast as a black actor? Let's be serious here. Stop the ignorance and get educated.

Honestly, you should try being an actor of color trying to make it in white racist Hollywood. Not only do we not get cast in colorblind roles, but when it (rarely) comes time for an actor of a specific ethnic group to get cast in a role it goes to a white person.

How can he not be white? His mother is french, dutch and german with TRACES of NA blood. That can be said for millions of people who self identify as white in this country. There are a lot of people with traces of native blood.

meh maybe i don't know what the hell im talking about because i'm...black. With that being said I don't find it ridiculous/stupid/overreacting that a main role that is supposed to be a poc went to a snowflake,er, um white man. To those that say it is just a movie understand that the quilete are a actual people.Little miss riding mormon did not "create them" they live. From what I have learned the wolf pack concept is based off of quilete folklore(however loosely). There seems to be those of you that refuse to acknowledge the fact that you rarely if ever see natives in anytype of acting role, especially the young ones. Yes NA are exocitized(sp?) and romanticized but shit that's in romance novels and those are always about how the NA MAN is panting and losing his mind over a snowflake,er um white girl.The fact that the stereotypes are so skewed and at the same time consistently portrayed to the masses is the reason why people should NOT accept half assed representations of themselves. Beleive you me I am nothing but black i don't know what part of african tribe my ancestors belong and my bloodline is so mixed up i couldnt even begin to find out. Hell my father grandmother came straight off the boat from fucking ireland she passed when i was 6 i knew her well. I'm still fucking black those of you that are 1/4 this and 1/8 that are some fucking whiners.Get over yourself you guys have turned this conversation in to a big ass bitch fest about how the "one drop" rule does not work with your ANCESTORS tribe. GTFOOHWTBS, Yea i know i realize that you guys are going to probaly e-lynch my black ass but i just had to say something cause i do empathize with the outrage and offense over the misrepresentaion of indigenous people. Stay on topic please should new moon casting directors pick full blood NA'S for the role of NA'S?...yes shit it would be absolutely ludicrous for celie in the color purple to be played by roseanne barr...

Its wrong...(Period)! I didn't run through all the posting here, but the people who did post on here are not Native American. Its gonna be bad enough that from here on out we shall be lampooned in with being wolves. We are all already drunks, wealthy from casinos, are prone to violence, are sacred beings in touch with the earth (when we enter a room or a film scene for that matter, our eyes squint from the sun and you can here a hawk cry in the distance). We should be able to represent ourselves in this day and age.

well....hes an idian...rite..well mayb its wrong...i got lil kids running around the resevre playin twlight....im the indian no im the indian well would if we told them he really wasnt indain...then what...

this issue is still an issue on my rez and for others across my state of south dakota. me and my boyfriend are native american but he looks like it more than i do but i have a higher blood count. see we are all mixed. even tho we dont look like it we are who we are. cworrell lol we might be related i am lakota sioux but different bands i am from the mnicoujou and o'onunpa which mean planters by the water and two kettle bands. OH! and there is still full bloods my ina(mom) is living proof! lol

i would formally like to say as a native woman that this IS a big deal. ive fought racist native american mascots my whole life and i feel that real native americans should have gotten this part. while i absolutely LOVE taylor lautner as an actor i was in fact disappointed that his agent lied about his native descentcy just to get him a role.It is infuriating to native people when non-tribal members claim to be someting they in fact are not. i want you all who say this is not a big deal to google *chief illinewek* he was an extremely racist native american mascot at the university of illinois in champaign urbana. while i am not going to boycott the movie because i am in fact a twihard :] i understand the sensitivity my fellow native peoples stand on this issue, we've been fighting these horrible stereotypes of us TO THIS DAY everybody. chief illini did not get removed finaly until 2 years ago. look him up seriously. I am not an extremeist trying to riot the movie or taylor im just asking everybody to try to look on our side of the picture and maybe be a little more sensitive to the subject. How exciting is it for native peoples to have a movie with native americans in it?! but hey, they guy isnt native or he kindov sortov is because his agent claims him to be. one love to all and i cant wait for the next movie to come out this SUMMER!!!!!!

@ The Unknown-- If there were a person of another heritage than white American that played a white American role, few people would care unless it was visually obvious. Jacob isn't visually obvious. He looks Native American (my roommate is NA). And obviously the studio could care less about race because they cast Laurent as African American. Which, they ended up with a terrific movie, so props to them!

Okay I'm really annoyed that I didn't get involved in this sooner. Punched a Werewolf... it DOESN'T matter that he's not full-blooded Native American. Realistically, how many full-blooded Native American actors are there? And I don't see you complaining about Mel Gibson (Australian) getting the lead role in Braveheart (Scottish). So it could be said that you're racist. You can only complain about people of color getting beat out for roles by people of other ethnicities but I don't see you shaking your finger at the hundreds of films where American people are portrayed by British actors, or vice versa. If you're going to have an opinion, then commit to it. Ridiculous. You might as well be upset that Edward wasn't played by a real vampire. It's make-believe poeple. COME ON!

@Anon: I wasn't complaining about Taylor not being full blood. I was talking about casting whites (brownface) or simply tan skinned people to portray the parts of Native American when they are NOT Native American.

Thanks for playing! Please try again.

I've never seen Braveheart nor do I care for Mel Gibson. I don't watch his films.

This is the same Anonymous from directly above. Also, one person said that "he is not Native American and should not be portrayed as such." Well Nicole Kidman isn't really a call girl in 19th century France, so she shouldn't have gotten that role, right? Oh and Brad Pitt isn't a Nazi-fighting redneck, so he's out of Inglourious Basterds. Let's see, Ellen Page wasn't really pregnant, so the part of Juno should have gone to someone else. You see how absolutely pointless this argument is? These people are actors. They are paid to pretend they're something they're not.

Actually, I am quite well versed in the white washing of parts that were intended for people of color. This is something Hollywood has done since its inception. It's erasure and it tells people of color that they are not good enough to play roles that were written specifically for them.

I suggest you do some research on Hollywood, white privilege, and how institutional power works to disenfranchise people.

I completely agree with the last Anonymous person. There is a guy who bashed on the author calling her snowflake, and "little miss riding mormon". First off, are you an idiot? Learn how to spell. It's "writing", you jackass. Second, she didn't do the casting, so don't you go blaming her just because you have you're own racial insecurities. And, third, you're trying to make the statement that it should be fair, that it should have been a Native American playing him, yet you have the nerve to bring up her religion. As if that has played ANY role in how the actors were picked. That is pathetic. You don't like people slandering you're race, then don't bash other people's religions. It's the same thing because it's who they are. Not you probably think I'm a little white mormon girl but I'm not. I'm Native American and Catholic. And as a Native American, I'm proud of how this movie represents my culture. They don't portray us as anything negative. They're a group of men who stick together to protect their people. Why would I be ashamed of that? And like the person said above, it's not real. It's make-believe and it is Taylor Lautner's job to convince people he's something that he's not. And, had his agent not spilled the beans, you would believe him. Wouldn't you.

Hey, Roxie. Way to pull out the dictionary and thesaurus. I'm saying, yes Hollywood has given roles to white people that should have gone to people of color. But, it's happening with EVERY race. I'm saying, if you're going to complain about this, then complain about it all. Don't half-ass it. You want equality and fairness one race, then why not equality for all.

Anon, you're pretending as if there are no power differentials that already exist. It is NOT the same thing if a British person plays American as someone who is not Native American playing Native American.

Actually, I already know those terms and what they mean b/c like I said, I know what I'm talking about.

Did I not just say that I realize that there ARE power differentials? I did. It IS the same thing in the case of this film because he looks the part, he portrays the part, and he is believable. JUST LIKE WHITE ACOTRS PLAYING DIFFERENT RACES. Tell me, how is it different? You say it is but you have no credible points to your argument. All you can say is that it's not the same. Get off your high horse. It's a movie.

"Casting an actor who claims to have Native American heritage in a Native American part is NOT "whitening" "erasure" or "whitewashing".

The entire point of the article was that people were questioning wether Taylor Lautner was actually of Native American descent. The article has nothing to do with "whitening" "erasure" or "whitewashing"."

everybody is effin retarted in here!either ur native or not dont pretend to be native to get a role.just say im not native but id like to play one!don't lie about itlike i said before either you are native or your not if you are ... then youd know! for sure...it's as simple as that

Taylor Lautner looks exactly like my roommate, who is 1/2 Potawatomi, 1/4 Mexican and 1/4 Northern European. So it's entirely possible that this kid is Native American. He doesn't look white, and neither does my roommate. They look.... racially ambiguous.... they also look exactly the same.

Also, not every family pays very close attention to these things. It's also possible to BE Potawatomi, and not be aware of it. It's not like you're fundamentally different from anyone else just because of your lineage. It's not like gender or sexual orientation.

Awhile ago a Lakota Indian tribe seceded from the union and they offered to let anyone in the area who was willing to give up their citizenship join them in the secession. People who joined them officially became part of the Lakota Tribe. Sometimes these things are socially constructed. It's not all about who you are physically.

And besides; looks can be deceiving. My sister, for instance, looks Scandinavian and I look Lithuanian. We have exactly the same parents so I am just as Scandinavian as she is. But if we tried out for a play that involved... idk, some kind of Scandinavian/Lithuanian conflict, she would be cast as the Scandinavian princess and I would be the Lithuanian princess. We would be *acting* as *characters* who are different from our actual selves. We would be cast based on how well we fit the part. They wouldn't cast us as relatives, necessarily, even though we are sisters. So what gives?

I'm aware that I'm becoming progressively less clear in what my point actually is. But if you're smart enough I supposed you'll understand where I was going with all of this. Yeah, I said it.... if you don't understand what I mean, YOU'RE DUMB.... and it has nothing to do whatsoever with my average, at best, writing skills.

im mixed alot of ppl are. mixing has recently become more popular. its entirely possible for some1 to look 1 way and be sumthin else. above wen i sed i wuz mixed i ment something different from wat u may think. my great aunt was cherokee as was my great grandfather but my father is nigerian so that cancels out my NA ethinicity physically. im am a huge twihard my walls are coverred in photos of them. i believe taylor is as NA as he says he is i dnt think he should be reprimanded b/c he cnt prove it. i cnt prove mine either thats nt my fault. i understand however wat u mean wen u say its not fair he got the part and a full blood didnt but we were not at the auditions we dnt kno wat happen mayb no 1 NA tried out or mayb the truely werent good enough. i am on kateri87 side b/c he cant prove it doesnt mean hes not he deserves that part just as much as full blood does.calling him names lyk punk or liar or faker doesnt change the fact that he has the part chances are he'll keep it for the remainder of the series i hope he does i cant stay on track long enough to lose three pounds not to mention gain thirty pounds of muscle. i think that if u are trying to question his heritage, listen to the french girl "he is not a french so stop saying thats all he is hes a mutt he has lots of different heritages and he is probly a better person because of it. im trying to direct myself down his career path i think the arts are wonderful and to some1 who is interested in acting shud pursue it no matter wat and to an NA who mite read this show urselves,whether ur only part NA or nt. its something to be proud of whether u look it or not does it matter as long as u know who u are rite?

Sorry this is going to be long…I am Native American.Ok first, my own opinion about the Taylor Lautner thing is that it doesn’t really matter. He is or he isn’t, that’s not going to change in the movie now though. I myself was very pleased to see such a diverse cast in the movie. And Taylor did a decent job “at being Native American.”I think that some people (not naming names) just need to calm down and take a chill pill. Like I said whats done is done. I think……that if you can successfully play the part it shouldn’t matter what race you actually are….for any film. ( but that’s the Thespian in me) Next to all of you who aren’t in the know how….All these people writing in about how they are NA and enrolled here and have this much blood quantum does not make them NA. It depends on how they interact spiritually and emotionally with their culture. Being NA isn’t about what’s on your papers it’s about what’s in your heart and in your spirit because being NA is a lifestyle, not an ethnicity. So just a heads up. Ok now just had to mention this (it’s for Anonymous and Kateri87) :Anonymous said... ....................and another thing, this goes to all the people saying that being N-A is a minority.

STOP SAYING THAT! do you realize how many people would love to be able to say "oh i'm N-A"? If you don't i sure as hell do. quit trying to act like ur all mistreated bc your not. I dont see any other race getting to go to college for free as long as they have their N-A papers, so quit whining before people WANT to start treating you like minorities again.

again, have a nice day :)Anonymous, I hope you pay dearly for this one day because if you studied or tried not to be so ignorant you would agree I think, that all the money in the world, all the “free” education, “free” healthcare, and all the piece-of-crap reservations in the world could not make up for the genocide of 90% of a nations people. That goes for indigenous people around the world. More than that, never once has anyone said sorry for that genocide. Everyone likes to sugar coat or act like that never happened. We make up .6% of the population in this country, when my ancestors and all NA people once roamed this continent a free people. Yeah, I think a little help with college is the very least we could get.P.S. Look minority in the dictionary Anonymous, you’re using it in the wrong context.But Peace and Love….I Love Taylor!!!

jayde...well writen and point taken ! my heritage is watered down micmac , huron and ojibiwa all on my mothers side, my father is an irish , german jew :-/ i'm fair with hazel eyes and dark hair. to look at me i doubt you would see my native american heritage "but" i can tell you that my "spirit" is native american and iam very proud of my heritage as well ! i agree , native american's were "robbed" in my opinion !alot of ignorant ppl need to get educated !!!! my grandfather never wanted anything from the goverment but i say if you can get it you are"entitled" to it !

its not a big deal. taylor is perfect for the role of jacob!!!! nothing is gonna change that. if they kick taylor out, so what? he can keep being an actor but all of us who are reading hte books(mostly) wont watch the movie. al least not me. if taylors out then so am i

"Ok now just had to mention this (it’s for Anonymous and Kateri87): Anonymous, I hope you pay dearly for this one day because if you studied or tried not to be so ignorant you would agree I think, that all the money in the world, all the “free” education, “free” healthcare, and all the piece-of-crap reservations in the world could not make up for the genocide of 90% of a nations people. That goes for indigenous people around the world. More than that, never once has anyone said sorry for that genocide. Everyone likes to sugar coat or act like that never happened. We make up .6% of the population in this country, when my ancestors and all NA people once roamed this continent a free people. Yeah, I think a little help with college is the very least we could get."

Read my posts carefully, I AM NA!! You say that a little help with college is the very least we could get, yeah sure maybe that's true but it would be nice if the band wasn't as bad as everyone else. Try being in my shoes: I have white people telling me I'm not white because I clearly look NA but on the flipside I have the band telling me that I'm not NA because I'm too mixed and can't register with any of the tribes my family belongs to! 90% of my family belong to tribes, but because of a technicality I'm ostracized, so forgive me for not supporting MY people 100%, why should I when they won't support me?

So seriously, learn to read all posts before you drag someone's name into something!

The Potawatomi people are in and from the Michigan area (although not limited to), so it wouldn't surprise me if he was part NA. My family and I are Michiganders, and I am part Potawatomi as well. It IS Hollywood though, so if it is a lie, that wouldn't surprise me, either. Regardless, I think Taylor will grow up to be a good actor, no matter what his heritage is.

I am full white, lol, full french :-) Itotally dont agree with those people who were making a comparison between british being played by americans and NA being played by "white". It's so ridiculous to compare that ! It's normal that people can be a little upset about that because it reminds us when Hollywood used to portray NA using make-up on white actors. And if i remember good, they were looking for actors with "Native american heritage" for this movie, so even the production crew thought it would be better and fair to have NA to play the Quileutes.So those who say it's not important well i think you're wrong.

Anyone remember Memoirs of a Geisha? The one that cast a Chinese actress in an iconically Japanese role? I'm KOREAN and I was pissed by that. Yes, I know we all look the same to you. This has nothing to do with acting ability, of course, kudos to the studio for getting what they wanted, but it kinda sucks for the people who are bothered by that kind of thing. I can definitely symphasize with people who are disappointed with Lautner, regardless of how cute he is.

Actually, Lautner looks Caucasian, or at best, generically off-white. A guy who looks Caucasian playing a full-blooded NA is aesthetically disgusting. Kinda like when James Bond was made-up to disguise him as Japanese: a gross assault on my senses. Putting white guys in tanning booths and throwing black wigs on their heads didn't fool people in John Wayne's time, and today it's simply offensive.

i think if he can portray the part well then its alright, i feel the same way if any other race portrayed someone who is caucasian. and its true that now a days everyone is so mixed, im hispanic, my mothers side of the family is obviously very european, and my dads side is very native american (my dad is often asked if he is native american) yet they are all from the same country. i identify myself more with native american culture, i was not raised in a reservation, lived in new york all my lifw, but what i have learned and seen, i would rather live in a reservation, the culture of many natives is so connected to nature. but im a not qualified to play a native? even though i may know more and believe more in native traditions

everyone needs to get a life and quit making a huge deal out of something so trivial! so he may or may not be part native american...everyone embellishes a little on some aspect of their lives no matter who they are...besides no one knows the truth surrounding taylor because they do not know him as a person celebrities are always being cut down because of some lie that either they, their managers, agents, or fans have created for them... its not that big of a deal so just move on from it...

this is avery big deal because white people or any other race has been put in for N-A roles except natives.Many ppl would freak out if some one made a movie about Justin.B and put Micheal Jordan as J.B its the same way in this movie new moon and twilight. I am Full Blooded N-A and its racest to me.

Taylor Lautner is definitely part Native American. He is obviously not full-blooded but he has the traits. I am Peruvian, mixed Inca (native americans of Peru), and Spaniard (white Europeans who invaded Peru 500 years ago). I have physical characteristics of both races, tho lean a little more towards Spaniard. Taylor looks like he could be my brother and he even looks like a dark-skinned uncle of mine. If you look closely his hair is thick and bone-straight, he has very little facial and body hair, his skin is olive, he also has full lips and high cheekbones. In Peru (or any country in Latin America for that matter) he would pass as a "mestizo" or mixed blooded person like myself. There are people in countries like Argentina, Uruguay, Chile who are much whiter than he is....like blonde/blue eyes. Get over it. He is NOT part black by the way there was someone who said he was. Does the guy look black to you??? LOL!!! No, he's part white part Native American, end of story.

Alright, I know this is an old post, but I am quite dissapointed by all these posts saying how it doesn't matter if he's native or not. It does since the media typically casts anglo (or anglo looking) people. If you were a minority but looked anglo enough (Rachel Welch, Cameron Diaz) you get the role. Its horrible that people fail to recognize this as a problem, its sad that people accept things as is and see nothing wrong. As for the blood line, each tribe has its own blood quantum, meaning you are acknowledged as part of the tribe if you meet the blood line requirements. Some tribes here in New Mexico, one in particular, you have to be half to get money but you can participate in dances if you're less though. And other tribes are less stringant on blood quantum. I am a mut, my mother's side is Filipino, Chinese and Spanish, and my father's side is Moor, Ghanan, Mexica, New Mexican mut (Great grandma is half Zuni and Spanish-Mexican), and Spanish. But I tie myself to Chicano, or as one writer said, Azteca del Norte, but still people believe that I am not Chicano, even though its my culture that I grew up with. Many mixed-race people are not accepted by their own ethnicities. So if Lautner is part native, that's fine. But it would be great if they did cast someone that tied themself to a native group.

Whoa. Theres a lot of comments about this. Well I'm a full Native American and I find it very upsetting that some people think that the situation "is nothing." Lets say I was to go for an audition to play a Native American and they turned me down for some other chick who was far from being Indian. To me that says, "Kid your not worth the part." Honestly. If someone was to point at a French and say they were German, wouldn't that be odd? I appreciate that Stephanie Meyer even thought to put indians in her work, but the Native American should be, Native American. I'm not neccersarily mad at her or Taylor Lautner. Its Hollywood and some of the people in this world who dont want to take a chance to see how unfair things are for my people.

i was reading a comment mentioned above by katie something, saying we get everything handed to us "on a silver platter". guys, you gotta understand that this certainly isn't true. In canada alone, ontario to be exact, the government owes over billions of dollars in compensation. HST was yet another attempt to strike down a treaty right that was promised to Natives. luckily after some negotiations, pst exemption was reclaimed.

it makes me really sad to see that there is in fact alot of discrimination still going on. To say that it has disappeared would be an insult to my existence. I'm Sage, i'm fifteen years old, i'm a very spiritual woman, and i think it's fantastic that people would be proud to show their native heritage. Taylor may not be as "indian" as i am or what any person would consider acceptable, but i would welcome anyone with a interest to come and learn. it is not the way to treat someone with negativity, especially when they can't control who they were born to.

I suppose i should mention something about the article. Taylor Lautner is a fantastic actor. He does look the part, and certainly worked hard to fit his role. I know for a fact acting alone is a feat. Long hours and all that jazz.

Taylor can't change his heritage to meet our needs. he could quit if he wanted to. but in all honesty, he's making a living for himself in one of the most popular movie/book franchises, and quitting seems unlikely.

anyways, i think i had a point to this but i tried to cover too many things.

Yeah, this is old, but I just gotta say that I saw the guy in Sharkboy & Lava girl. It's not a spray tan. he's ALWAYS been that dark. he has straight jet black hair, super high cheekbones, and a deep natrual tan. how is he NOT part Native! I saw that a person from France was like "We don't look like that, we are white as the Irish!" so Taylor's not dark because he's French, guys! He's gotta be part Native and I dont care how long he's known this. WHITE PEOPLE DONT LOOK LIKE THAT.

What I don't get is the people who are trying to celebrate their native roots and relish them through a Twilight book. Just shows how out of touch with reality this whole conversation is.....i'm not even going to get started on my native american ancestry or yada yada. I don't even feel like it's that relative to this conversation going on, but what really gets me is the supposed "white washing" in hollywood ( I would need to seem some hardcore concrete facts backing this up). First of all, if you are really so concerned about this real or illusory issue, why don't you take it up with the people who own dreamworks, lionsgate, etc etc? I mean continuing on in this hate parade speech is not really doing ANY of your race or ethnic background any good. I mean why are you arguing with people who obviously have zero control over what occurs in hollywood? I mean seriously. Personally, I find alot of these statements highly offensive and almost borderline racist and hateful. If you really think these people are holding back "your people" and trying to bring them down, then why in the FUCK are you talking about it on an internet message board? I know if I felt that way about my own race, personally I wouldn't be on a Twilight board trying to convince random strangers of most likely a young adult age range about it. We honestly have nothing to apologize for so why don't you consult the perpetrators? I mean it really is just like eye opening to me how little action people really wish to take.

You must know our lives. Although one has to wonder what it says about you: A person who hops onto a message board to deride other people for speaking about topics for which they feel passionately. Accusing them, assuming they don't talk to the powers that be about these things...and then commenting as Anonymous.

A very interesting blog. I have native ancestry, some of my family moved west (Arkansas/Oklahoma) before the Trail, others managed to stay east by renouncing their heritage or claiming they were black (a black man could own land while a Cherokee could not). While Taylor is a rather attractive young man (and whose appearance does not detract from the character), there are many equally talented Native men out there who might just as easily have been cast for the part. Nice for him. Maybe Stephenie Meyer can be pursuaded to write a companion series about the tribe/pack. And maybe, just maybe someone will have the vision to use real Quileute or other O.P. in the roles. Don't expect me to hold my breath though.

While all the statements are interesting,what ppl fail to mention is that these are fictional characters we are talking about Jacob black never existed while major change still needs to happen concerning natives and the media portrayal you also fail to mention the good change tv shows like into the west where real native Americans are playing key roles Hell on weels including real natives,documentary portrayals played by real natives so when it comes down to it you better believe no one will buy Mel Gibson playing crazy horse it just isn't exceptable oppose to taylor lautner playing a fictional character,why are we shining the spotlight on him when there are equally as many natives casted In twilight as any other.actors like gil Birmingham billy, booboo aka Seth and many these are the talented actors we should be talking about besides taylor who like the rest are just doing there jobs this whole conversation Is small compared to what we should be talking about taylor should be secondary let's talk about the actor who are native let's face it twilight wouldn't be half as good without the quillete tribe and the native actors who play them so let's all praise these actors and all the native actors out there young,old past and present agreed?

Agree. the other members of the tribe were played by NAs, which means that the producers did their best. when i first watched Taylor as J.Black i thought to myself they couldn't have found a better one, he looks lke he is supposed to, he acted very well so i believe that Lautner was the most appropriate for the role. Gil Birmingham is my other favourite, both authentic and well-performed. sorry for my english